Hokuto had sufficiently pumped herself up, though her body still felt somewhat weird. She needed some time to fully acclimate herself to a new-found energy coursing through her body. As Claire had pointed out, she could feel the very essence of Nature empowering her. As a result, due to not being totally used to this worldly energy, she felt a bit light headed. She realized that she still needed a bit more time to rest. As she lay back down on the infirmary bed after staring at her surroundings, she was already making some plans.
First, she had to inquire about the status of Astraea. Though the [Rose Sword Saint] was incredibly powerful, Hokuto wasn't sure about her immediate future, since she no longer had a proper home. Though Astraea was eager to pass down the
While she was continuing to wonder about her future, the inner circle of the high class magicians and sorcerers of Myria-Rune were in a tizzy. It was known amongst them that the [Rose Sword Saint] had personally visited the Python Coven's Head Witch, Lady Montgomery, in order to take the unconscious Hokuto to the Royal Hospital since her body was fluctuating too much from the long-distance teleportation portal made by Grenseal.
However, it was soon discovered that Hokuto's body was resting for so long because of the influence of the worldly Nature energy inside her body which was being stored in excess. The [Rose Sword Saint] thereby decided to wander around the Magic Kingdom looking for books that might enlighten her on the mysterious energy inside Hokuto's body as even the Archmages of the inner circle had little clues on its characteristics.
This commotion about Hokuto heavily interested the Mage Empress, one of the strongest known magicians in all of Heralldia. She most likely could have repelled Black Deer and Red Crane by herself if she were present at the North Blossom Kingdom which was a testament to her capability. Nobody knew her real name, she had seemingly appeared out of nowhere with the alias "Angelus." She swept the Magic Kingdom with her skills and became the ruler of Myria-Rune by force.
Yet as a kingdom that prided itself on magic ability and talent, nobody complained about this. Hokuto's strange body therefore presented the Mage Empress with a challenge to assess her strength and see what she should do with the former Princess. Nobody could tell if she had any bad intentions or selfish motives. However, it was widely believed that due to how the Magic Kingdom was currently very prosperous and even achieving breakthroughs in the research of Leyline Geysers, that the Mage Empress was a prudent and wise ruler.
Presently, the Mage Empress was inside her manor, which also doubled as the most prestigious magician's academy in the whole kingdom. She was inside a very messy room - it was full of documents and books strewn across the floor. It didn't look very organized. Yet she stood calmly in front of a large window looking outside of it. At the opposite end of the room stood a figure in blood-red robes. She looked terrible.
If Hokuto were here, she would recognize this person.
"Sister, what is your intention with assessing little Hokuto's magic talent? I've already told you. She doesn't have any magic circuits. How could she possibly practice magic?" the woman by the door sputtered out weakly.
"Foolish. You think I don't know that it's your fault the North Blossom Kingdom has been lost and that the former Princess is now an orphan?" The Mage Empress retorted back coldly. "She is totally innocent but she has been blessed with a mysterious power beyond the comprehension of mortals. You don't think it's my responsibility to assess the unknown and nurture her myself?"
"I'm the one who has to live with that guilt! Who are you to Ren, anyway? Why do you care so much about his kid?"
"None of your business. You're the one who abandoned me and got your position by thigh-hugging."
"And look who's laughing now."
"Petty talk. Listen to me," the Mage Empress was beginning to lose her cool. "The Dust of Gaea is literally the stuff of legends. What you told Tyris about it was utter bullshit. I think you know that just as well as I do."
"You..."
"Hokuto is too young to know about the true meaning behind the Dust of Gaea, but she has been forced into a situation where she must mature quickly. I bet you right now she is planning on accumulating power so she could exact her revenge as quick as possible." As expected, the Mage Empress 'Angelus' was incredibly perceptive. "That's why I have to see her as soon as possible and welcome her to our kingdom. We must treat her as one of our own. She needs family the most right now."
"And what do you want me to do about it, Angelus?"
"The answer is simple, expedite the process of her naturalization. I'll take care of the rest."
"Fine."
The Mage Empress dismissed the woman by the door without even sparing a glance at her.
...
The next day.
Hokuto was given a fresh new set of clothes which, according to Claire, "was picked out by the Mage Empress herself". When she put them on, she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled to herself. Skin-tight, black leather pants paired with a smart white blouse. It was covered by a dark green capelet with a golden hem-line.
"Did the Mage Empress really pick this out for me?"
Claire shrugged and nodded. "Don't ask me what she sees in you. Even her advisors are very suspicious that you might be her distant relative. Why else would she treat you so importantly? You are the former princess of a distant kingdom. In any case, she would like to meet you now to discuss the arrangements. Please follow me."
Hokuto obediently followed the head nurse as she was taken to a large pair of doors with a giant padlock securing it. The padlock seemed to be made out of a magical energy which Claire unlocked by creating a magic key from nothingness. "Please use the teleportation gate in there to go directly to the Mage Empress' manor."
"Will I be okay?"
"You will be just fine. Now go, don't keep her waiting." Claire encouraged the kid weakly.
After enduring the initial teleportation to get to Myria-Rune and experiencing the empowerment brought on by the Natural energy, Hokuto's body was able to withstand this trip much better and she no longer felt nauseous after stepping out on the other end.
She was greeted by the sight of a lavish room with bookshelves lining the walls and a large ornate wooden desk at the center. The Mage Empress sat behind it rather casually. Hokuto felt naked when she saw the Mage Empress' deep blue eyes stare back into her own.
"Good morning, Hokuto. I hope you have been treated well," the Mage Empress spoke politely, though Hokuto felt a tinge of coldness. "I offer my deepest condolences to you for your tragic loss..."
"Esteemed Empress... Why?"
Anyone would accuse Hokuto of being disrespectful, but the Mage Empress didn't blame her for being skeptical.
"I am here to answer your questions, and to give you a new lease on life. You would be throwing it away if you attempted to cultivate for the sole purpose of revenge. You are lost and alone, in need of family more than ever."
"But you aren't related to anyone I know. The only friend I've ever made in the past year or so was my teacher."
"I understand, but we'll talk about that later. My primary goal first and foremost is to assess the nature of your power. I know that you are feeling a surge of Natural energy inside you. Such a mysterious force could only be properly utilized if you were able to comprehend it. Let me help you with it."
Hokuto didn't know what to say to that.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
The Mage Empress flicked her wrist and suddenly, a sword appeared out of thin air and dropped in front of Hokuto's feet. The sword was just a plain, non-descript, mundane long sword. It didn't look magical at all.
"Hold it up and see if you can pour that energy into the sword."
Hokuto obeyed, afraid that if she asked 'why,' she would be yelled at and even possibly kicked out for impudence. "Okay." When Hokuto held the sword in her hand, she willed the energy inside her body to travel through her arms and into the sword. After a moment, the mundane sword started intensely glowing a dark green.
"You can stop."
Hokuto stopped doing so and the sword also stopped glowing. As she held it in her hand, the floor around her feet grew grass. This did not escape the Mage Empress' notice.
"I see."
"What do you see?" Hokuto asked in a curious tone.
"Astraea has taught you well. The physical body art she taught you has allowed your body to conduct such worldly energy in a highly efficient manner. Due to the awakening of your legendary physique, it allowed you to practice internal martial arts similarly to her. You could qualify as a powerful Magic Knight with this type of capability."
"A Magic Knight? But I don't have any magic circuits."
"You don't need them with your capabilities. Remember, your body is now the magic circuit. Astraea is still your teacher and I assume she will be the one responsible for the cultivation of your internal martial arts. However, you would still need to refine your fundamentals." the Mage Empress tapped her fingers on the desk in thought.
"One of my colleagues is expediting the process of your naturalization. We will legalize your status as a citizen of the Magic Kingdom and give you a new name. We don't want people knowing that we're housing a refugee."
Hokuto was clueless about these political matters and didn't feel it was right to ask about a lot of it. She did, however, inquire about the nature of her new name. "What new name would I get?"
"We'll still refer to you by your real name, just that on official documentation you will be named Astrid Hokuto."
Hokuto was baffled at the decision to turn her first name into a surname, but otherwise didn't complain.
"To further facilitate your re-integration into society, I will personally accept you to become a Squire of our Royal Magic Knight Division."
"Huh?"
"Hmm, you will hear about the news soon enough. But as I said, you need a strong support group right now. Don't think about revenge too hastily. You are too weak to do anything and you will just be wasting your life. Right now, you need to learn to move on and honor your parents' memory in other ways."
"Why are you so generous and nice to me?" Hokuto finally addressed the elephant in the room.
The Mage Empress ignored the question entirely.
"Welcome to the Magic Kingdom of Myria-Rune. I hope you will enjoy your new life."